For some, the sight of a severed pig's head, hanging delicately from a hook, is repulsive.

But not for Bill Cavanaugh.

"People look at the head like it's really scary and gross," says Cavanaugh, the business manager of Dundore & Heister. "But it's just meat."

Meat, obtained through the disappearing art of butchery by hand, is held in the highest esteem at Dundore & Heister, a whole-animal butcher based in Wyomissing, Berks County. Dundore & Heister will bring its traditional approach to butchery to the Lehigh Valley when it sets up shop as an anchor in the Easton Public Market, an indoor food market slated to open in the next few months.

Dundore & Heister focuses exclusively on four meats — lamb, beef, poultry and pork — that come from local farms that don't use antibiotics or hormones, and pasture-raise their animals.

Its "whole-animal" approach means there's as little waste as possible from the animals they butcher. That same pig's head, which may have been cast off in a commercial plant, will be used in numerous applications including pig cheeks (super tender after braising); and head cheese (not a cheese at all but a meat that's a mix of the different parts from the head that have been cooked down). A pig's head will also yield ears and snouts, which most dogs will gladly devour.

Whole-animal butcher Dundore & Heister to bring old-fashioned business to Easton Public Market.

(APRIL BARTHOLOMEW / THE MORNING CALL )

At its shop in Wyomissing, you see how all the parts of the animals are used. You can buy bone broth to add flavor to your gravy or your soup; soap made from beef tallow; pork lard for deep frying; and beef liver treats for dogs and cats.

Smaller pieces become ground meat (they had beef and bacon ground beef on our recent visit), or become part of a seasonal sausage, which their chef makes by hand. (A good one right now is their pumpkin spice sausage spiked with a local craft beer.)

This smaller-scale, highly skilled style of butchery with a strict local focus is something that owner Tod Auman is passionate about.

When he was growing up, Auman fondly remembers going each week to get ring bologna from a local Pennsylvania Dutch butcher. He remembers what that shop meant to his community and how much he loved how he was treated. (And how good the ring bologna tasted.)

That was what he wanted for his business — a local butcher shop that blends Pennsylvania Dutch thrift and devotion to sustainability, while providing exceptionally fresh, quality cuts of meat and strong customer service.

"We have an unwavering commitment to a simpler time," Auman says.

You walk into the Dundore & Heister and you'll see the staff of butchers either at work breaking down meats or ready to assist you. The butchers have been trained at the prestigious Fleishers Craft Butchery in Brooklyn, which specializes in whole-animal butchering and sustainability.

Hannah Weller, one of the butchers, is the shop's front of house manager. She's there to answer questions you might have about the shop's offerings, including local cheeses.

Walking through Dundore & Heister you'll see lots to tempt you, like delicious ring bologna (good dipped in a maple mustard sauce) and amazing pastrami. (Dundore & Heister's pastrami is good. Like New York City good.)

Dundore & Heister also has multiple types of sausages available daily, prepared foods such as soups and pulled pork and organic rotisserie chicken as well as hand-made jerky.

The butchers take a seasonal approach to cuts of meat, Cavanaugh says. Summer means more steaks and cuts for the grill. Once school is back in session, cuts perfect for roasting, braising or stews are more popular.

Because they get the meat directly from local farms, it's exceptionally fresh. Whole carcasses come in from the farms, and the butchers break them down into steaks and roasts, using as much of the animals as possible.

Among the fresh meats at Dundore & Heister during our visit were some pork chops. This isn't "the other white meat." These chops had a gorgeous deep pink color.

"Flavor has been bred out of food," Auman says. "People can see the difference."

What you also get out of visiting the shop, and what you'll soon get at the Easton Public Market, is the chance to see the butchering take place. You can see a butcher breaking down a whole beef leg and turning it into different roasts. You can see the gorgeous rib eye steaks dry aging in a glass cabinet (dry aging concentrates the flavors).

It's a way to learn more about what you're eating. "Having people see the process is key," Cavanaugh says.

And all of this is coming to Easton.

Auman and Cavanaugh knew Dundore & Heister, with its local focus and commitment to sustainability and freshness, would be a good fit for the planned indoor market.

The market — with its mix of vendors selling local wine, artisanal pizza, homemade pies and pastries and regional craft beer along with produce from local farms — is slated to open in the next few months at the former Weller Center, 325 Northampton St. The market will be open five days a week, including nights and weekends, to accommodate customers.

"We are really excited to be coming to Easton," Cavanaugh says. "The food scene there is incredible."

In a large central location inside the market, Dundore & Heister's butchers will break down cuts of meat, and give you whatever you're dreaming up for your next dinner party. Just like at their Wyomissing shop, the butchers will be there to answer your questions. If you saw Bobby Flay make a flank steak on Food Network and you wanted to give it a try, their butchers will guide you through the way to prepare it.

And if you're pressed for time, Dundore & Heister will have a line of prepared foods like it does in its original store, including organic rotisserie chicken ($14.99 for the chicken or $21.95 with two sides such as home-made baked beans, sweet and sour cabbage and German potato salad).

"We'll have a lot there for people who want to grab and go," Cavanaugh says.